Cedar Bridge Catches Fire, Police Point to Arson

WINTERSET, Iowa -- For the second time in 15 years, the city of Winterset is dealing with the loss of the Cedar Covered Bridge and local authorities are looking for an arsonist.

Right now, the community is left to pick up the pieces once again.

"Seeing this it’s like, dang, who would have done something like this?" said resident Alex Hoff.

Dozens of people stopped by to see all that remains, which is now just charred wood and caution tape.

"You know bridges in Madison County are more than just structures, they're part of our DNA," said Brenda Hollingsworth.

People like Alex Hoff stood in silence looking at what’s left of his favorite place in Winterset.

"It’s just a good chill place to sit here and think I have a lot of special memories here. I used to come here when I was young and throughout my teenage years," he said.

Crews responded to this area just after 6:00 a.m. on Saturday to see the bridge fully engulfed by flames. The city historian said last time this happened it cost the community nearly $1 million to rebuild.

Now, Hoff and the community are left to reminisce. Only time will tell if the bridge will be rebuilt for a third time.

Police are pointing to arson as a possible cause for the fire, but are not ruling anything out at this time.